Mark Holst

Mark Holst (born August 14, 1984) is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He is currently teaching Muay Thai, BJJ and MMA at the Barrhaven Martial Arts Center (BMAC) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Known for his devastating kicks and striking combos, Holst has earned himself the nickname "Boots". Holst is also the first and only professional mixed martial artist based out of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to have fought for the UFC.

In January 2006, Mark turned pro in MMA, earning himself a reputation for his strong striking skills. He would also continue to compete in Muay Thai/kickboxing and BJJ as well. His first MMA fight was against Shane Savage, where Mark won via TKO in the first round.

Holst made his UFC debut against John Gunderson on June 19, 2010, at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale, replacing Paul Taylor. In what became a grappling contest, Gunderson controlled Holst for the majority of the fight, and Holst consequently lost via unanimous decision. Despite losing, Holst demonstrated very good submission defense and guard retention, and he was soon awarded his purple belt in BJJ.

Holst revealed on January 15, 2011 that after the fight with Wedderburn he would "retire from MMA" to open a martial arts school with his coach and mentor Pat Cooligan. His rationale is that he wants to spend more time managing and coaching his students, and he also plans to return to BJJ and Muay Thai/Kickboxing competition as he originally did, to "take a step back and work on [his] weaknesses." However, he does not rule out returning to MMA in the later future, and even expressed interest in a rematch with Nabil Khatib if the fight is offered to him.

Holst decided to end his retirement after only one year, and fought Stephane Lamarche at WRECK MMA "Road to Glory," scheduled for April 20, 2012. Holst defeated Lamarche by submission due to a kimura.

Holst moved up in weight again to rematch with fellow Ottawa-based MMA fighter Nabil Khatib. Their first fight, which is recorded as a submission loss for Khatib, was controversial as the referee ended the match despite Khatib not tapping. Khatib had been asking for a rematch since then, and got it at WRECK MMA: Final Stand on November 9, 2012. This time, there was no controversy as Holst controlled the majority of the fight, landing a variety of strikes at will. Despite absorbing tremendous punishment, Khatib gamely swung back until the end. After the match, Holst praised Khatib's toughness. Khatib has since retired from MMA competition.

After obtaining a 5–0 record, Mark lost his first fight against Martin Grandmont via knockout, a fight he was dominating until getting caught by a crushing right hand from Grandmont. In addition to his striking background, he has also garnered many submission wins; Mark's most notable submission is over The Ultimate Fighter 5 veteran, Corey Hill. Mark won via second round submission, winning him the XKL Lightweight Championship. After the win, he was signed to the UFC.

Holst stepped in to face fellow Canadian Matt MacGrath, on January 19, 2013 at Elite1 MMA: Unstoppable in a Welterweight bout. Originally, MacGrath was tapped for a Welterweight championship bout, but his opponent was forced out of the bout due to a knee injury. Ironically enough, both Holst's and MacGrath's previous bouts were Wins against Nabil Khatib. Holst lost however, as MacGrath was able to use his superior Wrestling and Judo to dominate him en route to a Unanimous Decision(29-28,29-28,29-28) victory.

He lost to Cosmo Alexandre via unanimous decision in the main event of Lion Fight 15 in Ledyard, Connecticut on May 23, 2014.

Holst's next MMA fight was planned as welterweight bout against fellow Canadian thaiboxer Markhaile ‘Showtime’ Wedderburn in Gatineau, QC at the Casino de Hull for Wreck MMA. The fight became a catch-weight bout as Wedderburn failed make 170 pounds. Holst won the fight via Rear Naked Choke with only seconds remaining in the second round. He suffered a boxer's fracture during the fight.